Erasmus exchange blog

My name is Sophie Rappaz, I am 20 years old and in my second year of the Bachelor of Marketing Communications at Bournemouth University. I am now following the International Communication Management program at Thomas More in Mechelen, Belgium. I am originally from Switzerland, where I lived my whole life up until moving to Bournemouth for university. However, I am also a British national and had always wanted to experience living in the UK, which is why I decided to come to England for my higher education studies. I was particularly interested in BU due to it having the exact course I was looking for, and to its great location by the south coast.

I heard about the study abroad program for the first time during the middle of my first university year. It was mentioned by a lecturer and following that I did a bit of my own research about the opportunity and decided to take it! I have always had a passion for travelling, discovering new cultures, places and people, and seizing every opportunity available, which made this program ideal for me.

In terms of the process, it was much harder and longer than I originally expected. At first, it was very exciting. However, as we got closer to the time and as my studies started again in September at BU, I became very overloaded. There were numerous time-consuming documents to be filled, as well as making unit choice and all practical arrangements in terms of accommodation, travel, budget… all whilst keeping the Covid situation in mind. I am lucky to be a very proactive and organised person, as well as being used to high levels of pressure and stress, so still managed to get everything done in time.

My exchange experience did not start as planned. A day and a half before my planned departure, I tested positive for Covid, and so had to cancel all my arrangements and rebook. It was a very stressful and frustrating time, as it made me miss out on the induction week with introductory sessions, icebreaker activities, tours and guides… Luckily, Thomas More had set up live streams of some of the sessions so I managed to follow along a bit.

When I finally made it to Belgium, it was a big relief, and I was very excited. I moved here with Grace, and we decided to live in Antwerp, even though we study in Mechelen, and both live in our own studios a bit outside of Antwerp city. We are part of a block of 8 studios, so the living arrangement is different to the student house I was in in Bournemouth.

When I arrived, I immediately noticed something completely different to Bournemouth: the use of bikes as main transportation mode. Cyclists are everywhere, bike racks always full, and nearly every road has its own bike lane. So, I decided to also get (rent) a bike, and now use it daily! In addition, the student drinking culture is also quite different and a bit less intense, which is something I definitely noticed especially considering that that culture is generally very present in England. What I also noticed was the cultural diversity: at Thomas More students are all from different countries and speak different languages, which makes it very culturally diverse.

Both in Mechelen and Antwerp there is an organisation called ESN (Erasmus Student Network) who organises activities and events specifically for Erasmus students. However, my timetable is a lot fuller than at BU and so the workload is much heavier, which is something to get used to. I also have to commute everyday by bike, train and foot which is much longer than the walk I had to do in Bournemouth. But the city of Antwerp, and the interesting and varied courses at Thomas More are definitely worth it! Antwerp is a great place to live: it is a big city with lots to do, but also feels safe and is student-friendly!

When leaving Bournemouth, it was quite hard saying goodbye to all my friends, especially as none of them were going on an exchange. But I am used to travelling lots and knew that I would quickly adapt. However, for the past year and a half I had spent nearly all my time with them. Covid made it very hard for me to travel back home to Switzerland to see my family and so my friends in Bournemouth became my second family to me. So not seeing them on a daily basis was definitely something to get used to.

It is now the beginning of April, and the exchange is still going very well. I am fully settled in and used to life here in Belgium.

On a typical weekday, I wake up between 6.30 and 8.30am depending on when my classes start, bike to Antwerp station, take the train to Mechelen, and walk to the university from there. After university I head straight back to Antwerp. Once back, I usually get some work done and go to the gym. Weekday evenings are much more laid-back than in Bournemouth due to my early starts, but I sometimes go out for a meal or a few drinks with my housemates.

On weekends, I have a big night out partying and clubbing on either Friday or Saturday. Nightclubs here stay open much later than in Bournemouth: they are often open until 6-7am, and the music is also very different: DnB, tech and house is the main music.

One Friday night I had the opportunity to experience a typical Flemish tradition organised by the ESN: the cantus. It is an event full of singing, dancing, drinking beer and doing drinking games. The theme for this cantus was ‘Eurovision’, and so the songs were in various languages, and everyone was dressed up to represent their country. It was a great experience.

The main difference to get used to is the academic environment, which I am still adapting to. Classes here are usually in classrooms instead of lecture halls, there is no distinction between a seminar or a lecture. Depending on the teacher, attendance is also taken very seriously, and can impact the overall grade for the unit. To miss classes, we have to send an ‘official’ proof to justify our absence. The work is also very different. We get a lot of homework to do on a weekly basis, which usually counts towards our final unit grade. Overall, the academic structure reminds me of middle and high school.

Personally, I much prefer the structure of British universities as I am a very independent person and would rather work on a big assignment in my own time than have lots of regular homework to do. However, I think this structure contributes towards more attendance and participation, which is good.

It is now mid-June and my time in Belgium is coming to an end and I am so happy I went on this exchange and completed it. It was a great opportunity for personal development and cultural awareness, and an eye-opening experience. I developed my independence, adaptability, discovered a new culture and a different way of higher-education teaching, and got true insight into how people from all over the world have varying habits and communication styles.

Studying abroad can be a scary thought for many, but it is definitely worth it. It is not an opportunity that will arise at any point in time, so I would recommend anyone to go for it. It is also only for one semester and Belgium is close to the UK, which definitely made the experience easier. In addition, whatever partner university you choose, there will always be other Erasmus students there which is a good starting point in meeting people. It is a great addition to your CV, and if you do not plan on living in the UK your whole life it is a perfect starting point in learning how to live abroad.

Thomas More is such a culturally diverse university, I got to meet people from all over the world and who speak various languages. I had also never visited Belgium before choosing this as my Erasmus location. So overall, spending 5 months here has a great cultural advantage. In addition, the courses I took were very broad and I believe I gained a lot of additional academic knowledge by being here. For example, I took a course which taught all about UX/UI and wireframes, and how to use WordPress. I also had a course which taught me how to set up my own business, and another where every week we had a different professional guest speaker come in!

However, I am also very excited to return to Bournemouth, and then to my home country Switzerland. I look forward to seeing my friends in Bournemouth, and my family a bit later on. I also look forward to being by the beach again, as well as being in an English-speaking environment with cheaper prices!

Belgium, I will be visiting again very soon!